Blinding Prospect dominates series

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Blinding Prospect has come into his own during the Lone Star Park meet, and will attempt to remain undefeated in the track's turf starter series when he races next in the 1 1/2-mile finale July 16.

Blinding Prospect has started in three of the four starter-series races run so far this meet, and has won each time. Overall, he is 5 for 6 in 2005.

"He's come a long way this year," said Jim Hudson, who trains Blinding Prospect. "About the last five or six months, he has really improved. Every race he has gotten better and better.

"He just started getting bigger, and maturing physically and mentally, and got good."

is a 4-year-old by Capote's Prospect, who won the $100,000 Turf Challenge at Lone Star in 1997. Blinding Prospect's dam is stakes winner Blinding Light. The horse races for his breeder, Barnett Stables.

Hudson said that later this year he would like to start Blinding Prospect in the $100,000 Texas Hall of Fame Stakes for Texas-breds on turf at Retama Park.

"He's doing so good right now, he probably deserves a shot at it," said Hudson.

Blinding Prospect won a one-mile race at Delta Downs in January and an entry-level allowance on turf at Sam Houston before coming to Lone Star. He has won at distances up to 1 3/8 miles during the New Trieste starter series, which is restricted to horses who have started for a claiming race of $16,000 or less in 2004-2005.

Hot connections in feature

Leading rider Cliff Berry and trainer Bret Calhoun have won 36 percent of the time when teaming together this meet. Their latest joint venture comes in the featured eighth race Thursday night with Southern Sweetness.

She is one of the top choices in the entry-level allowance for fillies and mares that will be run at five furlongs on turf. won her maiden at six furlongs, and last out was fifth in her two-turn debut, which came in a turf race June 9.

"Right now, we'll keep her sprinting," said Calhoun.

Calhoun has long been excited about Southern Sweetness, who races for Martha Clark. She is a 3-year-old by Southern Halo, and is out of the same mare as Maple Syrple, a stakes winner who in 2003 was second to Ashado in the Grade 2 Schuylerville.

"She has got a great mind, and she has got tremendous speed," Calhoun said of Southern Sweetness.